Alexander sent in a tip that a new Ryobi 18V One+ rotary hammer might be coming out. He caught a flashing-by glimpse of it at the end of a Ryobi promo video (YouTube link) that is similar to the US video we spied some new Ryobi tools in as well.
After a little digging, it became clear that YES, this is a new Ryobi One+ 5/8″ rotary hammer. The new rotary hammer, designated R18SDS outside the USA, is a 4-mode SDS rotary hammer with hammer drill, rotary drill, chisel, chisel alignment settings.
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To me, it looks like the new Ryobi rotary hammer is sized similar to the Rockwell H3, Milwaukee M12, and Milwaukee M12 Fuel rotary hammers than an 18V hammer. It’s that compact-looking, although online imagery can sometimes be inadvertently deceiving.
Specifications
- SDS+ chuck
- 0-1300 RPM (no-load)
- 0-5000 IPM
- 15 Nm max torque (~133 in-lbs)
- 11.7 m/s vibration chiseling
- Weighs 2.08 kg with [compact?] battery (~4.6 lbs)
- Max drilling capacity of 13mm in steel, 16mm in wood, 16mm in masonry (~5/8″)
- Built-in LED worklight
The video was released last Fall, and so it’s surprising that we haven’t heard about the new rotary hammer sooner. There’s no indication if or when this model will make its way to the USA.
Thanks Alexander for the tip!
Robert
I realize that I’m jumping to conclusions to judge this with no first hand experience. There are exceptions to everything, but this seems like an area where the name might be an issue. There are certain tools that are more likely to be used by more serious users. I see a rotary hammer as one of them.
Most casual users that I’ve known, myself included, don’t venture into rotary hammers for most incidental tasks. That’s not to suggest that a rotary hammer wouldn’t be nice. Getting into a different bit selection with the added bulk, etc, isn’t something I’d worry about for an occasional task. I’d wager that most casual users would have a standard/hammer drill that would adequately handle most incidental drilling, including their occasional masonry jobs.
I see rotary hammers to be used by more serious users to begin with. That said, I think most who would buy one would be looking for a more robust name and reputation. If I was personally looking for one, I’d be looking at a Bosch Bulldog or something like that. I realize the arguments about the cordless thing and people who’ve already bought into the Ryobi platform.
I may be wrong however, but I don’t see this as being a tool brand that a “typical” rotary hammer user would be drawn to. I may be wrong, but I wouldn’t bet on an extended shelf period for this one.
Stuart
Hammer drills are great in a pinch (I love my Bosch corded one), but they suck when you have to drill more than a couple of holes in masonry, even when we’re talking about smaller holes such as 1/4″.
Hammer drills work with more of a vibratory motion, while rotary hammers have a sort of piston/hammering action. Good rotary hammers are easier on the hands and more effective.
If this model is an affordable add-on, it could become quite popular with Ryobi One+ users.
This is a 5/8″ rotary hammer, which should be plenty for most One+ users. I’m happier to see 5/8″ than a 7/8″, 1″, or >1″ model, as it means cost, size, and weight are all going to be lower.
David Petersen
When is this comming to the usa market
Stuart
In another comment, James says around March 2016.
julian Tracy
How in the hell is chisel alignment setting a “mode”? It’s a great feature, but it’s not a mode.
Though you may be right that most Ryobi DIY-ers may not really want or need a rotary hammer, it’s real value to them may actually be the chipping function, which comes in real handy when demoing any tile.
JT
jeff_williams
I think you’re spot on. This should be one of the cheapest if not the cheapest chisel on the market.
Chris
During my “Milwaukee binge” I pondered getting their version of this but looked at it much like the previous replies: I have a cordless hammer drill for the smaller stuff and an actual SDS drill that I picked up on clearance a while ago (DeWalt, not Bosch unfortunately) for the big stuff. Anything in between I have an old corded 5/8″ hammer drill as well.
I love the idea but for those of us that already have drills that are hammer capable, this seems like a “duplicate” tool. I also cant see this being a finesse-type rotary drill (i.e. pre drilling for nails, etc) so IMHO the rotary mode isnt useful enough to take the place of a plain old cordless drill
Jerry
I have a hammer drill, and do not like it. I can’t tell you enough, how I wish I had gotten just a drill/driver, and a rotary hammer.
My problems with hammer drills are two fold. First, they are not very good at anything more than a couple holes in concrete. Maybe for things like little Tapcon screws or such, they are fine, but anything over 1/4 inch, they become tooth rattlers and fatigue the users hands.
My other gripe, is that every one I have ever used, has fore and aft play in the chuck. When drilling a hole, light pressure causes the chuck to retract a bit into the drill body. This in itself is not so bad, but when drilling holes in steel with a twist drill, the chuck ‘springs’ forward, the edges of the bit suddenly grab, and the bit tries to ‘screw’ through the hole, while twisting your wrists at the same time. I quit using my DW XRP hammer drill for drilling through steel, and instead use my Ryobi drill/driver with much better results. As the bit gets close to coming through, I can feather it through, with less drama, and less chance of chipping the bit. I wound up with the drill/driver because I wanted a cordless pole saw, decided the Ryobi would suit my needs. I wanted 2 batteries, and Home Depot had a promotion at the time, where it was $10 cheaper to buy the bare saw along with their mid-level drill/driver kit with 2 batteries, than it would have been to buy the saw kit, and add a second battery. I ordinarily wouldn’t have bought a Ryobi brand drill/driver, as I didn’t need one, but couldn’t pass up a deal where it was ‘less than free’. After using it a while, however, I’m growing to like it. Maybe not DW overall quality, but surprisingly good for the money. If this rotary hammer is built as well, I definately will be getting one. I actually was planning on getting Ryobi’s current rotary hammer, but I would reply prefer this one with the hammer only mode.
Jerry
In the second sentence, I meant to say I didn’t like hammer drills, instead of rotary hammers. Is there a way to edit my original post? I couldn’t see an edit button anywhere.
Stuart
*Fixed*. No, there’s no easy way to give readers the ability to edit their comments. I’m continuing to evaluate options, but the idea of 3rd party discussion systems has been voted down.
firefly
Totally agreed. That has been my experience as well. IMO the hammer drill is too unwieldy as a drill. It’s not too big for the small job, yet not powerful enough for the big job.
OnTheWeb
I’d wonder if it could drive a ground rod, which a standard hammerdrill, corded or not, can’t do.
Jason. W
If the chisle function is even remotely good then I may get this. But seeing how small it is I can’t see it meeting my needs
Glenn
I had the previous 2 mode Ryobi 18v SDS drill and we used it professionally for a few months. And after drilling @ 1000+ holes with it, I can tell you it was a decent thing. The only real problem with it for our needs, was, that it lacked the chisel mode. Hence its sale and replacement with an M18 sds drill.
What does surprise me is that it is in an entirely new form factor, rather than being a lightly modified Milwaukee, a la the AEG 18v and 12v versions.
http://aegpowertools.com.au/products/rotary-hammer-drill
Milwaukee make up the majority of my cordless tools but I also have found the Ryobi 18v tools to be sturdy, reliable and far, far better than some are prepared to give them credit for, and If they price this well, it will be a great seller.
And for those of you that have never used a rotary hammer, the first time you you do, it will be a revelation. Standard “hammer” drills are nearly useless for all but the very light and very casual masonry drilling. In fact the only reason I can see for buying one is the that most of them have a full metal chuck.
Randy Wermuth
I have owned the 2 mode ryobi 18v rotohammer for about a year now. My co workers own makita 18v tools and they all teased me for buying ryobi tools. But I am able to buy more power tools for the money than them. They said that I was wasting my money and that it would only be able to drill through brick and block but not concrete. Now they borrow it from me all the time. I use it if I am drilling maybe 15 or 20 holes with a 3/8 bit in concrete. Any more and it is worth getting out the bosch bulldog. It is a great tool. In my experience a hammer drill does not compare in the slightest.
Randy Wermuth
Great website Stuart. I am waiting for the new ryobi tools to come to home depot, please let me know if you have any further info on upcoming ryobi tools.
Nick
I would love to see a comparison of this with the milwaukee m12, m12 fuel, and the bosch rhs181.
Stuart
M12 is a compact and lightweight tool with decent performance. It’s a capable tool. The M12 Fuel model has a beefier motor and can handle slightly larger holes (5/8″ vs. 1/2″). The Bosch is also a 1/2″ model (https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/bosch-rhs181-compact-rotary-hammer/%3C/a%3E%29. I don’t have both in front of me, but I’d think the Bosch would excel when it comes to drilling holes at the higher end of the range, such as 3/8″ and 1/2″.
For 1/4″ or 5/16″ holes, I wouldn’t think there would be a very noticeable difference in performance. I might have to find some time this month or next to do some side-by-side testing.
The Bosch might be more efficient, battery-wise, at least compared to the non-brushless M12. Depends on how the motors are designed.
For holes in the 1/4″ and 5/16″ range, I’d go with the M12. For holes in the 3/8″ or 1/2″ range, the Bosch would probably be better. I think any would really be great for smaller holes, but the M12 is cheaper and surprisingly nimble to use. The Bosch is too, but slightly higher cost and it’s of course a little larger. It’s unlike any other 18V-class model I’ve seen before, at least in recent memory.
Milwaukee M12 vs. Bosch 18V compact. Depends on which brands’ battery platform you’re more eager to buy into, or have bought into.
glenn
Nick, as I posted above, I had the current 2 mode Ryobi.
https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/374
And now have the M12 brushed rotary hammer as well as using my bosses M18 rotary hammer when needed.
Specification wise, the M12 has 0.9 joules impact, the Ryobi has 1.5 joules and higher rpm’s, But while being more powerful on paper, I have to say in actual use, the difference is barely perceptible. The Ryobi also got a lot hotter in use than the M12, which even after drilling a series of holes is barely warm to the touch.
I use it to drill 5.5mm, 8mm and 10mm holes and it handles this with ease, as did the Ryobi. We also use the M12 to drill pilot holes out through brick as the blow it is a lot smaller than the M18, particularly in rendered walls.
Another benefit to the M12 is its compact size and light weight, it is very easy to use one handed and even more so in overhead situations.
By comparison, the M12 brushless sds has 1.1 joules impact, spins 100rpm more and has a higher rate of BPM, . The M18 has 2.4 joules impact and for drilling is a beast compared to the M12 and the Ryobi, as well as having a chisel function.
If you are drilling mainly smaller holes, the Ryobi or the M12 in ether brushed or brushless versions are well and truly up to the task. If you are drilling larger holes and need the chisel mode, your best bet is a n18v rotary hammer from any of the trade oriented brands, ie; Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt etc.
My reason for buying into the M12 line is that my boss already has the 18v gear for the tougher jobs and the M12 line had the tool line up that I wanted as well as being light, compact and more than adequate for any task I need to use them for.
I still have quite a few Ryobi 18v tools and these are also very good, especially for the price. Don’t take any notice of the “Ryobi is crap” comments some make. It simply isn’t true. They are well made and in my experience, tough and reliable. I still have a few of the original 10+ year old blue 18v tools and they are still going strong.
I would recommend that you take the tool line-up into account when making your decision as it truly is a pain having different battery platforms and carting them and their batteries to job sites and back.
I hope this is of some help to you.
Also, I like the new layout Stuart. Well done!
Nick
Thanks for the rundown Stuart. I have used, and really like my co-workers M12 fuel. However all of my tools are either 12v or 18v Bosch. The RHS 181 looks about perfect for what I need, I haven’t gotten a chance to get a hold of one to compare to the M12 though. I have been holding my breath for Bosch to update this model as its a couple years old now or come out with a 12V version.
Steve Kramer
Just a ‘heads-up’ for you guys in the states (I live in the UK!). I found your ‘posts’ / ‘thread’ whilst searching for info & prices on this brand new Ryobi tool on the internet, after ‘tripping-over’ the tool by accident today, whilst browsing in my local ‘B&Q’ where it has just been released (don’t know if you have this D.I.Y. chain in USA? The online search term is ‘diy.com’ ).
Surprisingly the drill is currently not available through ‘B&Q’ online & it’s not even shown on the official ryobi site!
For your info. I’m a self-employed professional, in general property maintenance, so don’t necessarily use all my power tools every single day. However, they all certainly get a good ‘work-out’ from time-to-time, with obviously drills being the most commonly used.
I’m a self-confessed ‘tool-aholic’ so own masses of both corded & cordless tools of many different brands, but mostly Ryobi (around half the 18v ‘one-plus’ range and Bosch ‘Blue’ professional.
As with several of your contributors above, I too have owned the current 2 mode Ryobi 18v SDS for several years & continue to be impressed by it’s power, especially now I’ve upgraded to the new 4 aH lithium batteries.
The 4 aH completely transform all the ‘One-Plus’ tools. It’s almost like (in car terms) adding a turbo or Nitrus kit!
As i could find no-one else online selling this new tool, so didnt even get a chance to try beating the ‘B&Q’ price (£129.98) for the ‘starter kit’, which includes the drill, a 1.5 aH lithium battery & a charger (packaging doesn’t state which charger is included. but hopefully it’s the latest ‘dual chemistry’ charger & not one of silly little basic ones!) plus a kit bag to keep it all in.
Although i already own the current 2 mode version, the ‘roto-stop’ chisel mode will be useful, so i cant resist buying it. As i only really want the drill, I’ll probably sell the rest on ebay & re-coup some of my outlay!
Once I’ve had chance to try the drill, I’ll report back here!
Steve Kramer
glenn
Just noticed this has been released here. The price is $179 so I expect the USA will see at @ $129.
http://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-18v-li-one-sds-cordless-rotary-hammer-drill_p6210599
Nate B
About time! I own a P221 and I love it, it makes quick work of cinderblock walls and the occasional floor hole. As quick as a cordless tool can, anyway. The P221’s only downside is that, stock, it just has rotate-only and rotary-hammer modes, no chisel (hammer-only) mode.
I say “stock” because I opened mine up a few weeks ago, to get a good look at the gearbox. I’ve been on the lookout for a similar-size (possibly corded?) tool whose gearbox offers a chisel mode, that I might be able to swap in. No luck thus far, and with this announcement, I’m calling off the search!
There’s still a good chance I’ll add a corded SDS hammer to my menagerie. The One+ system is great, but there’s only so much oomph an 18v tool can muster, and rotary hammers really push the oomph limits. Even a low-end corded one outperforms the cordless, and with unlimited runtime (and now that I’ve got a stupidly-large inverter in the car, allaying concerns of being too far off-grid when a need arises), corded oomph might still justify itself. But if I were just gonna have *one* rotary hammer, it would be this upcoming one.
Now if only they’d sell the thing…
Don McNevin
So why is this not available yet in the U.S. ?
bobby
So I was tricked today when I purchased the p221 sds by ryobi. Since only a couple stores in central Florida carried it, I was soooo excited when I got the last one at the store. I needed to do some chisel work so I bought the bits for that aswell and getting ready to use n its just spinning so I kept looking it over and doing research now and come to find out it’s worthless to me since it doesn’t have the 3rd mode. But on amazon they carry the R18SDS the UK model for 119.00. Well I need to order it now so have a good evening.. lesson learned do your research before jumping into something like I did..
Don
That model doesn’t have the hammer only mode either. Better do some more research.
bobby
According to the video that I watched it had four modes. I mainly need the chisel hammer, cordless and by Ryobi when it comes out. Hopefully Home Depot will carry this very soon.
James
Expect this unit to be in select Home Depot stores around March ’16.
Stuart
Thanks for the ETA info!
Lex
Well it’s great to see this forum.
I just purchased a heap of the Ryobi one + cordless tools here in Australia including the sds rotary hammer drill (which shows 4 modes). Only used the chisel mode so far and happy for having it. But my question for anyone that can help is what is the “chisel alignment” mode used for?
Stuart
I would think it means there’s a chisel-only mode with free rotation so that you can chip away at something from the optimal angle.
Fixer
so ….. are we there yet!!! is the R18SDS anywhere in the US
Stuart
Yep, coming this month!
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/new-ryobi-power-tools-accessories-for-2016/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Harry
Well, I did manage to get the new 6 port charger at my local Home Depot. I was very surprised to see it on the shelf, seeing there’s no listing on their web site for it. Looks to be something i’ll like alot. Not sure if its safe to leave my batteries on it long term. We’ll see. I really like the 3 speed impact driver. Nice upgrade from its previous model.
I’m looking hard to find this misterous 18V SDS Rotary Hammer p222. Thought i’d see it before the charger. I think today i’ll hit a few other local dpots to see if they have any like I did with the charger. I’ll keep you posted….
Harry
I do have a question someone might shed some light on.
Ryobi tool au….http://www.ryobi.com.au/products/list/family/one-plus…..
Anyone ever look down under at the veriety of tools Ryobi has down there. Even the 18v circular saws have dust ports. An up to date 18v planer. Which H. Depot no longer carries the blue one. Real cool shop lights, Long reach hedge trimmers. I could go on and on. We do get some great tools here in the U.S.A. Its just when I see all that down there. What, are we the ugly step kids…..
OH, 5.0 mah Wow….
Harry
I guess the new charger is out at local home depots. I went to another store today looking for the rotary hammer drill. Nothing. But I did spot more new chargers….
Harry
Well, I found the rotary drill. P222. Seems to work great. I was really surprised at how sturdy it felt in my hand.
John H.
I was not impressed with the earlier model while I was looking for a SDS+ cordless drill. Found a rumor Ryobi was coming out with 1. Yea, in Europe. Well it did finally come to USA and I got it, the P222 model. It has worked much more than expected and more than it was designed to handle. For the heavier stuff, I use a corded unit for that. Last thing, it’s now 3 years old and still kicking.